New weekday service will have fewer stops along Route 53 between Anaheim and Santa Ana

ORANGE – Working, shopping or dining along Main Street is about to become more convenient, thanks to the Orange County Transportation Authority’s new OC Bus limited-stop 53Xpress service.

The new service, launching Monday, Feb. 13, runs along Main Street through downtown Santa Ana, with fewer stops along the popular Route 53 to speed up the commute for those riders traveling longer distances. Continue reading→

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority board of directors this week approved more than $26.7 million to help Orange County cities provide community-based transit circulators to better serve their specific public transit needs.

The money is being provided through Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements. When Measure M was renewed by voters in 2006, it included a funding program for cities to develop and implement shuttles and bus trolleys. Continue reading→

Free bus rides on New Year’s Eve is back! So go ahead and plan a fun night on the town and OC Bus will get you there and back safely. OCTA is providing free rides on any fixed route bus beginning on Thursday December 31st at 6 pm and extending through 2:30 am on Friday January 1st.

Taking the bus is pretty easy. Even after a great party you can probably figure things out. Just in case, you can find everything you need to plan your trip in OCTA’s how to ride section. OCTA encourages you to plan ahead using the Google Trip Planner since not all routes run past midnight. Remember it is free after 6 pm, so bring $2 bus fare if you are getting an early start. Continue reading→

NEWS ADVISORY: Poodles, labs and more to ride OCTA buses for service training

WHAT: Service and therapy animals in training are invited to join their handlers in making bus rides a familiar and relaxed experience during the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Service Animal Training Day.

Roundtrip training buses, not in service to the public, will depart every 20 minutes from the ARTIC station in Anaheim to the Downtown Disney District and the Anaheim Garden Walk. Participants can take unlimited rides during this event for free. Continue reading→

Anaheim’s new ARTIC transit center will run into a $2 million operating deficit by the end of June, and Anaheim officials will soon consider how to cover the shortfall, according to the O.C. Register.

Of course we all new this was coming. Former Anaheim Mayor turned lobbyist Curt Pringle drove the ARTIC project – and lied to everyone about the estimated use of this unneeded building.

Anaheim already had a functional train station, in the parking lot of Angel Stadium. They did not need ARTIC. And apparently the business community agrees as ARTIC has been unable to attract a sponsor dumb enough to put their name on the empty building, for the sum of over $160K a year. Continue reading→

ORANGE – Baseball fans will again be able to hop aboard the Angels Express to quickly get to and from Angels games this season, beginning with the first pre-season home games against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday and Friday, April 2 and 3.

The special Metrolink train service allows fans to avoid traffic jams and save on gas and money by skipping the car trip and parking fees. Continue reading→

Special service will shuttle passengers between popular Anaheim trade show and Downtown Fullerton events

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority is expanding hours of the popular Bravo! express bus service Thursday through Saturday during the NAMM Show.

The service expansion will shuttle attendees of the music trade show – named for the National Association of Music Merchants – between the Anaheim Convention Center and its surrounding hotels and concerts and events in Downtown Fullerton. Continue reading→

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority is helping to keep roads safe during New Year’s Eve celebrations by offering free bus rides from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 31 to 2:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1.

This year, OCTA has added extended service hours along several routes in Fullerton. The late-night service provides free, safe and convenient rides to or from the annual First Night in Fullerton event. Extended service hours are available on Routes 24, 26, 43 and 143. Continue reading→

FIREFIGHTERS CELEBRATE 22 YEARS OF GIVING WITH SPARK OF LOVE TOY DRIVE JOIN FIREFIGHTERS FOR THE FINAL EVENT THIS FRIDAY AT HONDA CENTER

Anaheim, Calif. (December 16, 2014) Southern California Firefighters and ABC7 are celebrating their 22nd anniversary of the Spark of Love Toy Drive. The ABC7 Stuff-A-Bus will host its final event of the season this Friday, December 19 at Honda Center with meteorologist Garth Kemp from 4:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Honda Center located at 2695 East Katella Avenue, Anaheim. The public is encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys or sports equipment to be distributed to children in need throughout Southern California. At 4:00 pm, the Orange County Fire Chiefs Association will present toys purchased from funds donated by Disneyland Resort.

“Last year’s event was a record breaking drive, filling 18 buses with toys and bicycles. With the public’s generosity, we hope to fill even more busses this Friday”, said City of Orange Fire Chief Patrick Dibb and president of the Orange County Fire Chiefs Association. The campaign began as a partnership between ABC7 and firefighters throughout five counties including Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura. Continue reading→

WHAT: Officials from the Orange County Transportation Authority, Caltrans and Anaheim will hold an event to mark the completion of a project to relieve traffic congestion along the northbound Orange Freeway (SR-57).

The $41 million project added three miles of new lane between Katella and Lincoln avenues in Anaheim. The project included improvements to eight freeway ramps, widening of two bridges and restriping of carpool lanes to allow continuous access by drivers entering and exiting. Continue reading→